Episode details

Radio 4,28 Aug 2025,28 mins
Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique with Anja Bihlmaier and the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Philharmonic
How to PlayAvailable for over a year
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Anja Bihlmaier invite us into their rehearsal room as they prepare for a Proms performance of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. Hector Berlioz was a French composer and his Symphonie Fantastique - first performed in 1830 - is a work of high Romanticism. It is a dramatic five-movement symphony, using vivid orchestral colours and effects to depict the story of a young artist who, driven to despair by unrequited love, falls into an hallucinatory state after taking opium. It progresses through a series of visions and dreams, from a ball and a pastoral scene to a frightening march to the guillotine and a grotesque witches' Sabbath. Featuring Anja Bihlmaier, conductor; Zoe Beyers, violin; Paul Patrick, percussion; and Kenny Sturgeon, oboe Thanks to Jess Mills, Stephen Rinker and all at the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Philharmonic.
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